Kronoberg Castle Ruins, Sweden

After the wonderful Midsommar celebrations (read about them here), the weather turned and grey clouds and fresh winds rolled in. The moody weather was quite fitting for our visit to the nearby Kronoberg Castle ruins. It was a very dramatic location, with the castle on an island in a lake which we accessed across a rickety bridge. It becomes even more dramatic in the wintertime when the lake freezes over and snow covers the area.

Scroll past image mosaic to read more. Click on an image to view a larger version and enter the slideshow. This is another photo heavy post because Rich and I love taking photos and also because Scandinavia is so amazingly photogenic.

Who that trotting through the castle in awesome shoes?

I loved how nature was taking over.

I’m not very good at paying attention to historical details, but I think structure was originally built in the 1400’s and featured in several battles between the Swedes and Danes. One of our favourite facts was how enemies waited until the surrounding lake was frozen over so they could approach and attack more easily. Imagine that, waiting for subzero conditions to make your task easier.

We wandered around and explored the staircases and rooms. There weren’t many people out and about and for a lot of the time we had the ruins to ourselves. It made the ruins seem even more mysterious and spooky. It also meant we could be more relaxed about the children’s behaviour. They were able to run around the courtyard area and not be bothered about getting in the way of other visitors.

Scroll past image mosaic to read more. Click on an image to view a larger version and enter the slideshow.

Exploring all the nooks and crannies.

Just like Lego, only historically accurate.

Apparently dogs were treated well way back when.

If you didn’t treat them well things got scary.

Who’s that with a bit of a Tin Tin quiff and a fuzzy beard?

So cute!

Thor, the steamboat that chugs around the lake.

Being able to explore the ruins without crowds was something we really appreciated. It was around this time that we started to become more conscious that it wasn’t going to suit us to be on a mission ‘hitting up the top sights of Europe.’ That we would be happy pootling around, following our noses and seeing what that brought. We have been to some very touristy sites at a very touristy time of year and enjoyed them, but we have consciously tried to intersperse them with roads less travelled. When chatting to other people about where we have been there have often been times when they have let out a disappointed sigh, because we have ‘missed’ something great/important. We never feel disappointed though, because we are having the adventure of our lives.

More information about the very cheap entry fees and other such useful information see here.

5 Replies to “Kronoberg Castle Ruins, Sweden”

Enjoy the less traveled roads. You remind me that the highlights from my first Europe trip included a few country towns that were not ‘top sights’. They were memorable and enjoyable partly due to a unique combination of variables (weather, companions etc) but mostly to the unhurried time I spent wandering. After a big ‘sight’ it is a treat to amble through a place without crowds and cameras and to just follow your nose rather than the queue in front. And if you happen to stumble upon some great local cuisine-even better 🙂

Rich shot the main photo (and many others), I think it’s the best at capturing the mood of the time and place.

We’re really happy with how the itinerary has turned out. I didn’t think we could be so comfortable about not knowing what was coming next all the time. I guess that’s a luxury we have had because we’ve had plenty of time available to us. I remember listening to your tales of Europe and it seemed so amazing and far away. Never would I have believed we would be travelling around here with two kids!

Thanks for your comment. I took that photo of the dandelion, so I’m particularly chuffed.

Our minds boggled every time we spoke to people about the cold winters in Scandinavia. At some point I think we may return to Scandinavia in wintertime just know if we can survive it. You guys would have had a pretty good experience of it in Japan I imagine, and you survived…